Synchronized drive means for circular knitting machines



WI LARKIN 2,863,309 SYNCHRQNIZED DRIVE NEANS F OR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Dec. 9, 1958 Wow m W M w 1m ,4 JW h 4w W. LARKIN Dec. 9, 1958 SYNCHRONIZED DRIVE MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACl-IINEZS Filed Sept. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Lllll I llll I ll aren't Gfilice 2,363,309 Patented Dec. 9, 1958 SYNCHRONIZED DRIVE MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Walter Larkin, Norristown, Pa., assignor to Fidelity Machine Company, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 20, 1955, Serial No. 535,479

2 Claims. (Cl. 66-95) This invention relates to improvements in that type of circular knitting machine which comprises coaxial cylinder and dial elements each carrying knitting instrumentalities and relatively arranged so that the instrumentalities of one of said elements may coact with the instrumentalities of the other in the performance of certain knitting functions.

The invention relates more particularly to that type of machine wherein the cylinder and dial elements rotate in synchronism about the common axis, and wherein the machine comprises means responsive to said rotation for' actuating the said instrumentalities.

Still more particularly the invention relates to the class of machine which is adapted for production automatically of a loop or welt in the knitted fabric, machines of this class being designed primarily for production of stockings having turned welts at the top. In machines of this class, the cylinder carries the usual annular series of needles, whereas the dial may carry a lesser number of transfer bits or hooks which operate in conjunction with the needles to produce the welt.

In machines of this type it is essential that the cylinder and dial operate in precise synchronism in order to avoid possible interference between the cooperative instrumentalities. This is particularly true in machines adapted for production of fabrics of finer gauge wherein the relatively large number of needles in the cylinder, and the correspondingly relatively large number of transfer bits in the dial, require precise relative alignment of the neeles and bits.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a machine having novel means for obtaining the required precise synchronous relation between the cylinder and dial.

in the attached drawings- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view partly in section showing the upper end of a knitting machine made in accordance with my invention;

. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line 3-3, Fig. 2; v V k Fig. 4 is'a sectional view on the line 4-4, Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating a detail of construction;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the clamping elements;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the sinker ring, and

Fig. 9 is a similar view of one of the drive elements.

With reference to the drawings, the knitting machine therein illustrated as an embodiment of the invention comprises a cylinder 1 which carries an annular series of needles 2 in conventional manner. The reference numeral 3 designates the dial which in accordance with usual practice is mounted immediately above the cylinder 1 and which carries the transfer bits 4, also in conventional manner. The manner in which the needles 2 and bits 4 cooperate in the knitting function is well known in the art. Also cooperating with the needles 2 in the knitting function are the conventional sinkers 5 which are carried in a sinker ring 6 attached to the upper end of the cylinder 1.

The cylinder 1 comprises an outer sleeve 7 in which the needles 2 are mounted and which is slotted on the inner surface, as indicated at 8 in Fig. 5, for reception of keys or splines 9 on an inner cylinder 11. The sleeve 7 is adjustable axially on the inner sleeve 11 by means forming no part of the present invention and illustrated generally at 12 in Fig. 1. The inner sleeve has a gear 13 attached to its lower end and this gear is connected through a second bevel gear 14, see Fig. 1, to a suitable driving source. In this manner, the cylinder 1 is rotated and with it the sinker ring 6.

The dial 3 is mounted at the lower end of a sleeve or bushing 15 which is clamped to a split collar 16 at one end of a bracket 17 forming a part of the fixed frame of the machine. The collar 16 is secured by means of a screw 18, and the manner in which it clamps and retains the sleeve or bushing 15 is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The structure of the dial 3 comprises an upper relatively fixed cap member 19 which is fitted to the bushing 15 and is attached to the latter by a screw 21, and this relatively fixed member 19 is anchored on the lower end of a pin 22, the upper end of which is secured in a boss 23 on the bracket 17. By means of the rod 22 and sleeve 15 the relatively fixed member 19 of the dial structure is rigidly supported above and coaxially with the cylinder 1.

The dial structure comprises .also a lower relatively movable member 24 which is attached by means of a screw 25 to the lower end of a shaft 26 journalled in the bushing 15. As hereinafter described, the: shaft 26 is driven to rotate the member 24 of the dial in synchronism with the rotary movement of the cylinder 1 and about the same axis. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3, that the shaft 26 has a flange 27 at the lower end thereof which carries 21 depending pin 28, said pin expresent instance the gear 31 comprises a rim portion 32 having teeth 33 at the periphery thereof and having arms 35 which extend radially inwardly to a flange 36 at the upper end of the sleeve 7. A shoulder 37 at the inner .end of each of the arms 35 overlies and seats upon the upper surface of the flange 36 of cylinder sleeve 7, and clamping elements 38, secured by means of screws 39 to the undersides of the arms 35, engage the underside of the flange 36 and, when the screws 39 are tightened, serve to clamp the gear rigidly to the sleeve 7. As shown in Fig. 7, each of the clamping elements 33 has serrations 34 in its clamping face which fit corresponding serrations in the underside of the flange 36 to provide a positive interlock between the gear 31 and the sleeve 7 precluding inadvertent relative angular displacement of those parts and these serrations are narrow and closely set so as to afford relative angular adjustments of small scope between the gear and the sleeve 7 about the rotary axis of the cyinder.

The sinker ring 6 is similarly mounted on and positively attached to the flange 36 of the sleeve 7. As shown in Fig. 8 the ring is provided at the inner periphery thereof with four arms 40, see Fig. 8, which correspond to the arms 35 of the gear 31 and which bear the same relationship to the flange 36. Each of the arms has a shoulder which seats upon the flange 36, as shown in Fig. 3; and clamping elements 48, similar to the elements 3% previously described, are secured by screws 49 to the respective arms and serve to attach'the'arms and the ring in a positive but finely adjustable nranner to'the flange 56.

The teeth 33 mesh with the teeth '41 of a spur gear 42 secured by means of a key "43 and set screw '44-to the lower end of a shaft 46. The shaft 46 is journalled in a bushing 51 in an extension 52 of the main frame of the machine. The shaft 46 extends upwardly beyond the upper end of the bushing and has attached thereto, by means in the'present instance of a key and set screw 53, a spheroidal or other pinion54. This pinion meshes with a like gear55 which is attached, by means described below, to one end of atransverse shaft 56, this shaft being journ'alled in bushings 57 and 58 adjustably clamped in split collars, 59 and 61 respectively, on the bracket 17. At its opposite end, the shaft'56 has attached thereto, by means of akey 62. and an anchor ing set screw 63, a pinion 64, preferably spheroidal in character, and this pinion meshes with a like gear 65 which is keyed to the upper end of the shaft 26, the key being shown at 66 and the gear being anchored to the shaft by means of a set screw 67. By means of the transmission train described above, the movable member 24 of the dial structure 3 is geared to the upper end of the sleeve 7 cf-the cylinder 1 for synchronized rotation With'the latter about the common axis of the cylinder and dial.

Means is provided for adjustment angularly on the shaft 56 of the gear element 55. This adjusting device is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. It comprises an element 68 which is keyed as indicated at 69 to the shaft 56. As shown in Fig. 4 the element 68 comprises a collar portion 71 which embraces the shaft, and a radially projecting arm '72. The element 68 occupies a recess 73 in the hub end of the gear 55 and is confined in this recess by a cap plate 74'which is secured against the end of the gear element by a nut 75 on the threaded end of the shaft and a lock nut 76. At opposite sides of the recess 73, the hub 76 of the gear element 55 is provided with tapped holes 77 and 78 respectively, the inner ends of which intersect the opposite sides of the said recess. Set screws 79 and 81 occupy these tapped holes and may be turned in against opposite sides of the arm 72 to anchor the gear element 55 to the element 68 and therefor to the shaft'56. By relative adjustments of the set screws 79 and "81 the gear 55 may be adjusted angularly with respect to the shaft axis, and as indicated, may then be anchored by the set screws in the adjusted position. A second set of set screws 82 and 83 respectively, occupy tapped holes in the hub 76 and may be turned inwardly in these holes into engagement with the sides of the set screws 79 and 81 thereby to lock the set screws in place and to preclude accidental release of these screws with possibleshifting of the gear element 55 from the adjusted position with respect to the shaft 56.

It will be apparent that by adjusting the gear element 55 angularly with respect to its shaft 56, the angular position of the dial 3 about the common axis of the dial and cylinder may be correspondingly adjusted. In effect, this adjustment will modify the angular position of the dial with respect to the sleeve 7 of the cylinder and will similarly affect the relative positions of the needles 2 and jacks 5 and the transfer bits 4. The adjustment affords a simple and effective means for obtaining precise relative alignments between the needles 2 and jacks 5 on the one hand and the coactive transfer bits 4.

By directly operatively connecting the elements of the machine which carry the needles, the sinkers and the transfer bits, I have materially reduced the possibility of malfunction arising from'misalignment of these coacting instrumentalities. As previously described, the cylinder is driven through the inner sleeve 11, so that wear in or loosening of the keys 9 will result and frequently does result in development of material play between the sleeve 11 and the needle-carrying sleeve 7. Where, as previously, the connection between the dial and the cylinder has been through the sleeve 11, any such play involves unavoidable misalignment of the needles in cylinder sleeve 7 with the transfer bits in the dial. By driving'the dial and sinker ring through sleeve 7, play between the sleeves 11 and 7 cannot affect the alignment of the needles with the sinkers and transfer bits.

I claim:

1. A knitting machine having a rotary cylinder including a cylindrical needle-carrying member and needles axially movable in said member, a sinker ring secured directly to said needle-carrying member, sinker elements radially movable in the ring and coactive with the said needles, a rotary dial co-axial with said cylinder and instrumentalities radially movable in said dial and c0- active with the needles, a gear element adjustably attached directly to the cylindrical member in proximity to but independent of the sinker ring, and transmission mechanism extending directly from said gear element to the dial for synchronized rotation of said dial and member.

2. A knitting machine according to claim 1 wherein the cylindrical member is provided with a radial flange at the end of said member to which the dial adjoins, and wherein further the sinker ring and the gear element are both adjustably attached to said flange, the attachment means for the gear element being independent of the attachment means for the sinker ring and providing for adjustments of the said element and the ring on the cylindrical member independently of each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 834,763 Scott Oct. 30, 1906 2,258,927 Clarke Oct. ,14, 1941 2,461,851 Staples Feb. .15, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,735 Great Britain of 1910 

